Progress of construction as of June 3, 2013 at the site of the new $200 million jail that has gone well over budget and may be scrapped.Gus Burns | MLive Detroit

DETROIT, MI - Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has asked the county's auditor general to hold off on releasing an audit of the failed downtown Detroit consolidated jail construction project as it conducts a criminal investigation, the Detroit Free Press reports.

The Wayne County Building Authority voted Thursday to terminate contracts for completion of the partially-constructed new Wayne County Jail, which is an estimated $90 million over budget. The county has already spent $121 million on the partially finished complex.

Also on Thursday, Worthy's office announced an investigation into financial aspects of the project, but would offer no further details because the probe is ongoing, according to the Free Press.

Wayne County Auditor General Willie Mayo had already submitted his audit report to Worthy’s office, which sent a letter – obtained by the Free Press – to Mayo, asking him not to release the report. Mayo is reportedly complying with the request.

"... I am directing you and your office not turn over your completed report or a copy of
your report to county officials, which includes any underlying documentation, and under no circumstances should your office release these materials to the public," Worthy states in the letter, dated Monday. She says that Mayo can, however, release a minimum amount of information to "proper county officials" to respond to "conditions and causes."

County officials in June halted the jail construction project at Gratiot Avenue and Madison Street near Greektown after revelations that it was poised to run well over budget.

The latest plan is to instead move the jail to the former Mound Road Jail, which is currently being operated as a Michigan Department of Corrections facility housing up to 200 prisoners.

Wayne County is considering three proposals from investors looking to purchase the Gratiot Avenue construction site, an old jail site, the county's juvenile detention facility and the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice courthouse.

One proposal from an unnamed group of investors offers $100 million for the five properties to develop an entertainment complex or a mall.

And Dan Gilbert's Rock Ventures also made a proposal without a specific purchase price to develop an entertainment complex. That proposal included a study indicating that moving criminal justice operations to the Mound Road site would save more money than the county would lose on the stalled Gratiot Avenue project, June Lee, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano's chief of staff, told MLive last week.

Lee said resuming construction of a 2,000-bed jail would cost taxpayers about $15.25 million a year in debt service.

He said shrinking the project to keep the cost at $300 million would cost $14.5 million in annual debt service.

It is not immediately clear when the audit will be released to the public. June West, spokeswoman for Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, told the Free Press that the draft audit contains "numerous inaccuracies."

MLive reporter Gus Burns contributed to this report

David Muller is the business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.